Croatian Drink of Choice – Crocktail!

In Croatia, cocktail fans can sample many variations of these globally popular drinks, but coming here and not tasting the only Croatian cocktail – Crocktail, is the same as going to Cuba and not having a Cuba Libre. Therefore, make sure to visit Hemingway Bar, co-owned by the cocktail master who has created the drink.

Refreshing, passionate, unusual and typically Croatian – Crocktail, the first Croatian cocktail, can now be tasted at Zagreb’s Hemingway Bar, which is part of the first Croatian chain of namesake bars. One of the chain’s co-owners is the multiply awarded, globally renowned Croatian cocktail master Marin Nekić. He is also the creator of the Crocktail, a drink passionately red in colour with the typical tastes of Dalmatia – Marasca cherry and sugar coated orange peel.

The recipe is not a secret: a little bit of Maraschino (Marasca cherry liqueur), Marasca juice and lemon juice, decorated with a cherry and an aromatic candied orange peel. The result is a drink with an impressive, indigenous Croatian flavour and a significant name. 

Over the centuries the Marasca cherry has been highly regarded, and today it is known as one of the tastiest sorts of cherries in the world. 

According to known information, the Marasca cherry was first mentioned in the mid 14th century (in 1339) in a document which is also the oldest written document discovered in Dalmatia. Brought to the area from Asia Minor, the fruit tree adapted well to the rocky and bare land of its new homeland. The area between Karlobag and Makarska is nowadays considered the only fertile ground for Marasca cherries. The importance of the Marasca cherry has grown over the centuries, and numerous greats from all over the world have given it much attention. In 1750, Italian writer Alberto Fortis mentioned its cultivation in his work “Viaggio in Dalmazia”; in 1768, the recipe for Maraschino of Zadar was created, and today the city features a factory of the same name which produces drinks made of Marasca cherries. The Marasca cherry was also highly regarded by emperors so, on Napoleon’s orders, the first cherry market in the world was opened in Split in 1806, and in the late 19th century Maraschino was first exported to the world from Split.

Should you wish to make your visit to Zagreb even tastier with a typical Croatian drink, now you know where to go and what to order. At the same time, you can have a go on the dance floor or treat yourself to some tasty gastronomic specialties because the Hemingway Bar, located in the heart of the city at Tuškanac, offers all that.